An Unexpected Suprise
by Avila Grace
Summary: Completely AU. Luke doesn't want children, and Lorelai is heartbroken. They're about to find out what sacrifices are all about.
1. Tears don't come in decaf

Lorelai made her way out of the bedroom, the white cotton robe wrapped over her bare shoulders. She smiled as she saw her husband over the stove. She smelled the aroma of maple sausage, scrambled eggs, french toast and hot coffee. She sighed as she made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his neck softly.

"I really hope that's my wife," Luke said teasingly. "Because if it's not, I'm not so sure I'd have a wife left."

"Well, lucky for you, it is your wife," Lorelai smiled. "What are you making?"

"Eggs, Sausage, and French Toast for Rory and I," Luke said, flipping the toast in the air, "And coffee for the beautiful woman in the white robe."

Lorelai smiled and let out a soft sigh. She and Luke had been married for nearly three years, and she had never been more in love with him than she was now. She had known him since Rory was a baby; he had often offered her free meals at the diner, knowing she could hardly afford the rent on minimum wage. He was ten years older than she was, and he had just opened the diner when she came in that first day, Rory straddling her hip and saying her first few words.

She let herself wander to that mid afternoon in October. She hadn't even noticed Luke that day, other than the gruff "What can I get you?" he'd muttered at her, obviously annoyed that she'd brought a small child into the diner. She knew Luke's policy on children. It was quite simple, three words even: No Thank You. Rory had been no different. She was just a slobbering, crying, screaming little girl that had sticky hands. But she had started to grow on Luke, and even though he wouldn't admit it, he was the only father figure in her life.

"Lorelai, baby, what are you thinking about?" Luke asked, studying the faraway look on her face.

"The day we met," she replied. "And Rory."

"Rory?" he replied. "What part of Rory? Her sticky hands or her abnormal desire for homework?"

Lorelai laughed. "Nothing, nothing at all."

She smiled and pulled herself away from Luke and wandered into the bedroom. On the counter sat an opened pregnancy test box. She had meant to throw it away after she used it, but she had forgotten. _Good thing Luke didn't see it, _she thought. She knew he didn't want kids.

She looked at the box for a moment before picking it up and throwing it violently in the trash. All she wanted was to have a baby with the man she loved; she'd already had a baby with a man she didn't. She had thought she was pregnant with the alleged morning sickness, newfound appetite, and a new sensitivity to the things around her. However, she had sat and stared at the indicator on the test for the whole five minutes, and the second strip had never appeared.

Negative. She stared at the trash, thinking of the irony. 18 years ago she had stared at the indicator hoping the second line had never appeared, and now she was staring at it, brokenhearted that it hadn't.

Her pity party was broken up by a light tap on the door. Rory's voice carried through the cracks, "Mom, Can I come in?"

Lorelai quickly wiped her eyes, "Yes." She watched as the door creaked open and her baby girl stepped inside. Rory wasn't a baby anymore, though. She was everything Lorelai had ever wanted or wished for, all tied up in one person. She was the most beautiful child Lorelai had ever seen, but of course, she was somewhat biased.

Rory closed the door behind her, "Mom, is it okay if I go over to Paris'? We have a project due in our Shakespeare class next week and she's freaking out."

Lorelai answered Rory without diverting her eyes from her legs, afraid she might show that she'd been crying. "Yeah, sure honey. Just be back for dinner, okay?"

Rory studied her mom's posture, finding it puzzling that Lorelai wouldn't look her in the eye. "Mom, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting on the bed.

Lorelai hesitated before answering her daughter.

"I want another kid like you," she answered. "Except I want Luke to be her daddy. But Luke doesn't want to be her daddy." Lorelai let soft tears fall down her cheeks. Rory put her arm around her mother and pulled her into her embrace.

"Mom, it's okay…" Rory tried to comfort her. "Maybe Luke would be willing to have another kid, you know, if you wanted one…"

Lorelai shook her head and wiped her tears on Rory's shirt. "If you don't go, you're going to be late and I'd hate to have to undergo the wrath of Paris." She smiled at Rory, trying to convince her to let her be. Rory got up and headed to the door.

"Besides, Mom, why would you ever want another kid when you have one as perfect as me?" She grinned. "I mean, my taste of music is pretty much amazing."

Lorelai smiled. "You were taught well." She watched Rory close the door and thought to herself _Rory's right. I have the perfect kid already. What's wrong with Rory that I want another baby. _She felt tears form in her eyes. _Am I such a horrible mother that the universe won't trust me with the care of another child._

She grabbed a pillow, and hugged it to herself, and stared at the box in the trash. She counted to five before she slowly got up and made her way to the bathroom to apply her makeup. She couldn't let Luke know she'd been crying.

She dressed, did her hair, and perfected her look before heading back into the kitchen and sitting down at the kitchen table. She smiled as Luke handed her a mug of coffee. He smiled at her and then handed her the coffee pot. She forced herself to laugh, and she began to drink the coffee, wondering how her husband could be so oblivious to the pain so obvious in her eyes.

Luke stared at her from across the table. She'd been acting so strange lately; he couldn't wrap his mind around it. Lately she had been so emotional and so unlike Lorelai. The other day they'd been walking through the park, and Lorelai would randomly start crying. Then she'd turn away and tell him she had something in her eye. He would never tell her he saw the tears because he knew if he did, she'd get even more weird. She'd go on a temporary diner strike, and Luke knew how bad that was. The last time Lorelai had gone on diner strike he'd lost 24 bucks. Eight cups of coffee sure did add up over three days. Not that it mattered anymore, her spare change was his spare change no matter where she dropped it.

"What are you doing today?" Luke asked.

"I don't know," Lorelai said playing with her food. Luke frowned. It wasn't like Lorelai to have a simple answer to any question. Even when he proposed to her, she'd gone into a sing-song musical that had left him bewildered for a good two minutes. He eyed her suspiciously and opened his mouth to say something when she interrupted him.

"The Ice Capades are in town." Lorelai said. "I think they're performing a special number on… something."

Luke eyed her strangely. "Okay, well, I have business at the diner all day, but if you and Rory are up for it, we can take a tour of the town tonight."

"Luke, we've lived in the town since we were teenagers," Lorelai snapped. "I don't think we need a tour." With that, she got up, threw her plate in the sink, grabbed her jacket and walked out the door.

Luke shook his head in bewilderment. _What in the world is her problem? _


	2. Closing Time

**Authors Note: **This is just a filler chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed my last chapter. The more reviews I get, the quicker the chapters come up, guys. And now, enjoy. Chapter 3 will be up soon (reviews pending).

Luke grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floors of the diner, trying to persuade his customers to leave. It was only twenty minutes before closing time, but Luke felt the need to get out of the diner earlier that day. He looked around at the characters that were sitting at his tables. There was, of course, a fight insinuating between Kirk and Taylor about Stars Hollow's annual Valentines Day festivities the next week. Kirk, of course, wanted a parade and floats and sparklers. He wanted to make sure that it was something his mother could attend: the noises often were too much for her to bare. Of course, the entire diner knew what Taylor had to say about that.

"I am not going to let you ruin Stars Hollow's tradition of having a Valentines Day dance and snowman contest because your mother complains about the cold and the volume," Taylor yelled audibly. "Tell her to go live somewhere else if she can't deal with dances and snow because neither of those are leaving Stars Hollow anytime soon!"

Kirk looked frustrated and began to bicker with Taylor before Luke ran his broom over their table.

"Alright, out. I'm closing up."

"But Luke, your sign clearly states that your diner does not close until 11:00 pm on Saturday nights." Taylor looked at his watch. "It is now only 10:37, which means I still have another 23 minutes to sit here and debate with Kirk while I eat this 'hamburger' you sold me for three dollars over its' value," Taylor contested.

"Taylor, get out. This is my diner; I can close when I want to; I can charge you however much I want to. If you think the prices are so bad, then go somewhere else and get a hamburger. Go debate with Kirk outside in the snow." Luke said tartly, opening the door to the diner for them to walk through. When Taylor started to open his mouth again, Luke interrupted him. "Taylor, get out!"

Taylor and Kirk stormed out the door, followed by Miss Patty, Babette, and a slew of other townspeople giving Luke weird looks. Luke watched them out the door and then flipped the open sign on the outside part of the door and finished sweeping up the floor. He turned the coffeepot off and looked up to see Rory standing at the door, peering in through the glass with a small frown on her face.

He unlocked the door for her, "Rory, what are you doing? Get out of the cold."

"I thought you closed at 11," she said. "What time are you closing now, Luke?"

"Whenever I feel like it," he said. "Contrary to Taylor's belief, I own this diner and I don't have to close it at the time that the sign on my door says."

Rory stared at him. "Gee, tough day, Luke?"

He looked at her for a minute. She looked back.

"Lorelai," they both said in unison.

"Do you have any idea why she's been so weird lately? This morning she stormed off on me. It was really weird because it was like ten seconds after she was kissing all over me," he asked.

Rory debated telling him. _Mom would absolutely kill me if I muddled in their business. But he'll never figure it out. He can be quite retarded sometimes. All men can. Especially men in flannel…._

"No, Luke, I don't know," Rory lied. "Maybe it's the weather. Sometimes Mom gets weird when it's cold. Ooh or maybe there's a full moon tonight. Or maybe the coffee was bad. I don't know." Rory tried to cover up her knowledge with falsettos.

_Why are all the Gilmore girls acting so strange lately? _Luke pondered. _I swear, I hate living with two women._

"When will you be home tonight?" Rory asked, changing the subject.

"I was just about to head home when you came in," Luke replied. "Do you have any idea where your Mom is?"

"Yeah, she called me and told me she was going to go over to Sookie's and she'd be out late tonight," Rory said.

"Why is she going over to Sookie's?" Luke asked concerned. "She only goes over to Sookie's at night when she's upset. Why is she upset, Rory?"

"I don't know…." Rory lied again. "I didn't ask?"

Luke grunted. "Fine. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it if she won't tell me. I'm not a miracle worker here. I can't read minds. I don't have ESP."

"Yeah, but you have ESPN," Rory said. "What a trade-off." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to Sookie's and picking up your mother." Luke said and walked out the door to his diner, leaving Rory with the key to lock up.


	3. A Walk in the Snow

Lorelai crawled into Sookie's arms, crying softly. She still couldn't understand why Luke didn't want children with her. She had never wanted anything so much as she wanted a child with Luke. She had no idea where to turn; she didn't want to manipulate Luke into having children he didn't want, but the desperate longing for a child of their own was more than she could take. She had never really mentioned her desire for children to Luke; she had just kind of hoped it would spontaneously happen. She'd rather it just happen and fight about it when it did, than have a fight over a hypothetical situation that left them both wounded and hurt.

"You need to talk to him, Lorelai," Sookie said, running her fingers through Lorelai's hair. "He might surprise you. He might not want children, but maybe he will once he sees how much you want them. That's how it was with me and Jackson."

Lorelai looked up at her, "You think? I don't know, Sook…"

"Lorelai," Sookie said, looking in her eyes. "As much as I love you, I love you a heck of a lot more when you're not crying and miserable. Put a little faith in Luke; he might surprise you."

Lorelai sighed. She hoped Sookie was right, but she knew Sookie was speaking from her own personal experience. Lorelai knew from her personal experiences that everything always turned out wrong. She never got the good moment that Sookie and Jackson got. She found herself suddenly jealous of Sookie. Her husband had wanted children; her husband had actually proposed; her children were still young, and they weren't about to grow up and leave her. Lorelai looked up at Sookie. _Why can't I ever have the happy ending?_

Sookie smiled down at her, "Alright, pick yourself up, Lorelai. Dry your eyes. I'll go get the junk food." Lorelai smiled back at her lightly and nodded.

As Sookie made her way to the kitchen, Lorelai stood and looked in the mirror, fixing her eyes and trying to look somewhat presentable. Why did she care, it was just Sookie after all. She bit her lip slightly and grabbed a brush, brushing the knots out of your hair.

"Lorelai, what are you doing?" she heard a gruff voice ask behind her. She turned around. She knew that voice, but she didn't want to believe it was really his voice.

"Brushing my hair," she said calmly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you…" he said. "What's wrong? Why are you here and not back at home?"

He looked concerned. Lorelai wondered who had tipped him off that she was upset. "Sookie!" she called into the kitchen. He stared at her. "Sookie!" she called more urgently.

Sookie came in carrying a tray of her delicious brownies, "Lorelai, I'm going as fast as I--" she stopped when she saw Luke. She stared at Luke and shuffled her feet. "Brownie?" her voice squeaked out a little too high.

"No." Luke said and turned his attention back to Lorelai. "Will you just come out on a walk with me? You can stay the night here if you need to but I need to know what's upsetting you."

Lorelai looked back at him. He was genuine, she could tell. She had always gotten to know the soft and caring side of Luke, never the gruff and rude one that everyone else in Stars Hollow seemed to know. She had fallen so in love with him over the years she had known him that she couldn't imagine ever loving anyone else. She regretted all the times she'd told Christopher and Max that she'd loved them. After loving Luke, she knew she'd never loved anyone else. The feeling she had with Luke was different than anything she could have even imagined, and she knew that there was no way anyone who experienced that feeling could ever experience it with another. She knew now that with Christopher and with Max, it was just a stronger liking and a strong lust. Never love. They weren't Luke.

She looked over at Sookie, and back at Luke. "Okay," she croaked out. She saw Luke grab her coat and hand it to her. She slipped it on and took his hand. It was warm. How were his hands always this warm in February? This wasn't Florida, it was Connecticut. The snow was falling fast outside and the air was biting and still, his hands were warm.

Luke opened the door and walked outside, holding her hand. They walked for a while, neither of them saying a word. Lorelai would stare at the snow; Luke would stare ahead. Then Luke would stare at the snow, and Lorelai would stare ahead. Every now and then one of them would sneak a glance at the other, but neither of them would dare to do it at the same time as the other. They walked all the way to the park before either of them opened their mouth.

"Lorelai, will you please tell me what's wrong? I've been worried." Luke stopped and looked at her. She could see the genuine concern in his eyes, something that he hardly ever had. He had put himself out there, told her exactly how he felt, and she knew that it took a lot of courage for him to do that.

She looked back. She opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Closed it again.

"What is it?" Luke asked? "Just spit it out, please…"

"I'm not pregnant!" Lorelai cried out, and then clasped her hand over her mouth as if to call back the words she'd just spoken.

She saw Luke tense. "Well, damn, I hope not."

She looked at him, hurt in her eyes. "I want to be, Luke."

"I don't." He replied coldly, and started walking again.

She sighed and walked behind him, tears gathering in her eyes. "Well, why not?"

"I don't like kids," Luke asked.

"You like Rory," she replied.

"Well, Rory's….. Rory!" he replied, exasperated.

"What's so different about Rory?" she asked, knowing full well Rory was different from any kid.

"She's just Rory. I don't know," Luke said, knowing he'd backed himself up into a corner.

"What if we had a kid that was like Rory? I mean, it's possible…." Lorelai replied, squeezing his hand lightly.

"It's not possible," Luke said.

"Why are you so unwilling to try?" Lorelai cried.

"I don't want a baby," Luke replied simply enough. Lorelai could feel him stiffening and she dropped his hand. She looked up in his eyes and wished she had "the Rory face." She knew that face could get anything from Luke.

Her thoughts drifted back to the day four years ago when they'd been lying on the couch, hands intertwined.

_"How much do you love me?" Lorelai asked playfully._

_"About as much as you love the Bangles," he'd replied. "And coffee."_

_"Wow. I must be the luckiest girl in the entire world," she'd smiled and curled up closer to him. _

_"Basically," he replied. "You know I'd do anything for you."_

_"Anything?" Lorelai had asked._

_"Yes, anything." He said and touched her face_

_She'd looked back up at him. "Will you do one thing for me, then?" she'd asked. Her mind immediately drifted to the book she'd read just the week earlier. Nicolas Sparks had always captured her heart, and A Walk To Remember was no different. She remembered the last line of the book._

_"Anything," he replied, looking back in her eyes._

_"Will you start making happy face pancakes? You know, the ones with the whipped cream smile and the chocolate chip eyes and the sprinkle freckles?" He looked at her like she was absurd. "Please?"_

_He looked back at her. "Only for you… And Rory, I guess." She smiled back at him. And the next morning when she and Rory walked into the diner for their morning cup of coffee, two happy face pancakes were staring up at them._

"Not even for me?" Lorelai asked, looking up at him.

Luke felt his knees go weak as he looked back at her. His heart grew heavy as he thought of the ways his life would change with his next few words. He looked into her eyes, and kissed her softly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't want a baby."

She looked back at him and her blue eyes filled with tears. They rolled down her cheeks fast, cascading down. She broke away from him, took off her shoes, and ran the other direction. Luke stood in the snow and watched her go, his heart aching inside his chest.


	4. Cows, Mr Darcy, and an empty diner

**A/N: You guys are fantastic with the reviews! I know that so far the story is sad, but I promise, it will get better. I have some plans with it, but not too many (I let the characters lead me). Keep reviewing and I promise, I'll keep writing.**

Rory looked over at the red numbers flashing on the cow clock next to her bed. 2:33. Only four minutes after the last time she checked. After Rory had locked up the diner, she'd come home to an empty house. She curled up on her bed and grabbed one of her favorite books off the shelf: Pride and Prejudice. She started to read, engaged by the handsome Mr. Darcy. She had always thought that the relationship of Darcy and Elizabeth was quite like the one of her own mother and Luke. Luke being a crude jerk more than half the time, and Lorelai being the wild, carefree young woman that fell for him. Because, honestly, Rory thought the only woman that could ever put up with Luke was Lorelai.

Lydia had just run away when Luke came home. Rory stopped reading and glanced at the clock. 12:10. He and her mother had been talking for a long time; Rory hoped they'd come to at least some sort of agreement. She sat silently on her bed and listened as Luke threw his keys on the table, opened and closed the refrigerator, and climbed the stairs. She knew her mother hadn't come home with him; Luke had opened and closed the door much too soon to get the two beers they would need. And of course, Lorelai was much too loud to go unnoticed. And Rory hadn't got her nightly kiss and random story. She'd decided to stay up and wait for her mom, after all, Lorelai wasn't the type to just not come home.

Rory continued reading for another hour or two, but eventually she found that she was getting too weary to keep up with the old English. She slid down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. All of her Harvard posters, several pictures of her and her friends, random letters and wedding invitations, and brochures and mementos from her many road trips with her mother adorned the ceiling. She decided to go to sleep, but every few minutes she'd find herself looking over at the cow clock and wondering where in the world Lorelai was. Rory knew Lorelai never stayed with Sookie overnight, but she knew there was nowhere else she would stay. And she knew that Lorelai wouldn't leave town without her best friend. And so, at 2:57, Rory finally fell asleep.

Rory awoke the next morning nearly falling off the bed. Half her body was hanging off the side of the bed and the pillow from under her head was half-gone. The blanket was completely gone. She looked over and saw her mother sleeping, a worried look on her face. She wondered what time her mother had slipped in, and why she'd come and laid down in her room. She pulled herself back on the bed and turned to face Lorelai. Always a light sleeper, Lorelai turned in her sleep with every move that her daughter made.

"How dare you…" Lorelai muttered.

"What?"

"How dare you wake up a sleeping woman. I need my beauty sleep, kid." Lorelai replied, opening her eyes. "You make me so old."

Rory laughed. "How dare _you_! You pushed me off my own bed and took my covers and my pillows."

Lorelai replied with her motherly tone. "I bought the bed. And the pillows. And the blanket. It's mine."

Rory groaned. She knew that reply. "Mom, why aren't you in your room? I mean, the room that you normally sleep in?"

"Luke wasn't smart enough to sleep on the damn sofa," Lorelai replied. "And I'm not a couch kind of girl. Unless of course I fell asleep there with Ben & Jerry's in my hand and a movie still blazing on TV."

"What happened last night, Mom? I waited up for you until almost 3 AM and you still weren't back…." Rory trailed, eyeing her mom.

"Luke and I had a fight. I went over to Sookie's to talk. Sorry I worried you," Lorelai said.

"What was the fight about? Are you and Luke okay? Are you okay?" Rory asked, concerned.

"Rory, I don't want to talk about this right now," Lorelai rolled over.

"But Mom I-" Rory said quickly.

"You're the kid, I'm the mom. I don't want to talk about this," Lorleai said and rolled over and went back to sleep. Rory sighed and got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. On the fridge was a note from Luke.

_Rory, _

_Call your Mom. Make sure she's okay. Stop by the diner and let me know if you won't be home tonight so I don't worry about you. See if you can get your Mom home, too. I think she's at Sookie's. See you later, kid._

_Luke._

Rory laughed. So typically Luke. She had known the man since she was young and he'd always been more than just Luke to her. They say that girls look to date men like their dads, but Rory had never looked to date a man like Christopher. She didn't want anything to do with a high-class, well-groomed, deadbeat like her father. Instead, she liked a gruff man in flannel with a baseball cap and a sense of humor. She had never said the f word with Luke, but she felt it. Every now and then, it seemed to want to escape her tongue, but she could never let herself say it. _Father _was such a personal word. She wasn't sure how he would take it, and she wasn't sure if her mother was ready for her to say it. Rory and Lorelai both knew that Luke was really the only father Rory had, but Lorelai was hard-headed when it came to Rory knowing that Chris was, and always would be, her biological father.

Rory scribbled out a quick note to her mother and left it in the place of Luke's. She quickly changed and headed out the door towards the diner, eager to help the father she never had.

She opened the door to the diner and sat down at the counter. "What can I get you, Rory?" Luke's voice overpowered her thoughts.

"Chai?" Rory said.

Luke looked at her. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Rory Gilmore?"

"Luke..." Rory groaned. "I want chai tea." Luke looked at her strangely and brought her a chai tea.

"Why the sudden change?" Luke asked.

"Because tonight when Mom asks if I went to the diner for coffee I can honestly say no," Rory replied. "She's at home. Sleeping in my bed."

"Oh," Luke replied. "Good."

"Things didn't go so well last night?" Rory asked, worried. "What was she so upset about?"

Luke looked around to make sure nobody was listening. Then he realized nobody was there. "She wants a baby."

"And…" Rory said, wondering where the problem lied.

"I can't have a kid, Rory." Luke said, scratching his head.

"Well, why not? Mom would be there to help you and I would be too. And you won't mind sticky hands when it's your own kid. And I bet it will be a boy, you can see him grow up and be just like you and--," Luke cut her off.

"No, Rory. I can't have kids." Luke said, staring her in the eye.

"What do you mean, you can't have kids?" Rory asked, still not getting it.

"When I was in high school, I ran track…" Luke started to explain.

"Oh my gosh," Rory said covering her face. "Please don't tell me this. Eww."

Luke shrugged. "You asked."

"You didn't tell Mom you can't have kids? Luke, that's kind of important, don't you think?" Rory asked.

"I didn't think it would be a problem. She's always said you're the perfect child. She could never be happier. I didn't think she wanted any more kids. I didn't think it would be a problem. Why bring it up? I didn't want things to be weird," Luke said.

"Oh." Rory said, watching Luke, both of them oblivious to the door opening behind them. "Luke, you really should tell her."

"Tell me what?" Lorelai appeared behind Rory, her hands on her hip. She walked up to the counter and sat down, grabbing Rory's mug out of her hand. She started to gulp it before spitting it out.

"Damn, Rory! What the hell are you drinking?"


	5. Not a dinertime conversation

**A/N: Remember, this is completely AU. Thanks so much for your reviews, they really do keep me writing. Please keep reviewing, there's nothing a writer likes more than knowing people read his/her stories and hearing the feedback. Thanks a bunch! And review so I can get the next chapter up.**

* * *

Lorelai looked at Luke, "What do you need to tell me?"

"Uhh," Luke stammered. The diner wasn't exactly the place he wanted to have this conversation with Lorelai. Lorelai looked at him. "I love you?"

"Is that a question?" Lorelai asked, a bit of hurt in her voice.

"No, baby…it's not." Luke said. "I just don't really want to tell you what I have to tell you here."

"Why not?" Lorelai asked.

"Because… there's, there's grease and coffee and tables and chairs and Kirks and…" Luke trailed off.

"Oh," Lorelai said.

"Lorelai, I know you're hurting. And I want to explain to you why I don't want kids, but now… Now's not the time or the place. Tonight."

Lorelai groaned. "What time will you be home?"

"Around 11:30, is that okay?" Luke asked her.

"Yeah," Lorelai said. "I'll just go walk around town and go build a snowman or something."

Lorelai got up and started towards the door. She turned around, looked at Luke, and walked back. "I do love you," she said softly, kissed his forehead, and left before he could say a single word.

Lorelai sat on the bench in the park, reminiscing. For the first time in her life, Lorelai found herself missing her parents. Richard and Emily Gilmore had never been firsts on her priority list, but in the past few years she'd felt closer to them than ever. _Absence really does make the heart grow fonder _Lorelai thought. She thought how strange it was that she loved them more the years they were gone than the years she had spent with them. It had only been three years since Lorelai and Rory had put post-it notes on all of the things at her parents house. She hadn't realize at the time that it wasn't just Emily and Richard being morbid again. They had had a reason for the post it notes. Lorelai found her heart heavier than normal.

Richard had told the girls of his cancer three months later. The doctor had given him up to a year to live, but because Richard had waited four months to tell the girls, it wasn't a year they had left with him. Lorelai remembered hearing the news. They told her in true Gilmore style. At the dinner table, with salad forks clinging against their plates. All of a sudden, Richard had just said it. As Lorelai chewed the cherry tomato in her mouth she'd heard her father said, "Lorelai, Rory, I have cancer." He had then picked up his fork and taken a bite of lettuce. Emily had stared straight ahead, and Lorelai could tell she was trying desperately to be oblivious to the situation.

Rory had reacted, badly. She had gotten up and ran over to her grandfather, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had hugged him, right there at the dinner table. Emily had scolded her. She'd said, "Rory, don't hug your grandfather with salad dressing on your hands. You'll get it all over his suit." Rory had sat down quietly. She hadn't eaten another bite all evening.

Lorelai thought back to the funeral. He had left only 6 months after that night. She remembered the expensive dresses, the open bar, the appetizers. She remembered the tears she hadn't cried, and the tears Rory had. She remembered feeling so guilty because she couldn't cry for her father. She remembered Luke, all dressed up and trying his hardest not to be critical of the situation. She remembered her mother. She had worn black for the first time in her life. It was the first time she'd ever seen her mother cry.

It wasn't that Lorelai hadn't wanted to cry. And it wasn't that she hadn't loved her father. She had loved him very much, even if he hadn't quite understood her. He had just left so suddenly. He remembered a talk they'd had just a few minutes before he'd passed.

_"Lorelai," Richard said, breaking her concentration. "Lorelai, look at me." She turned her head to look at him._

_"I know I've never told you this, but I'm proud of you," he said softly. She looked at him, surprised. "You've done a good job raising Rory."_

_"She raised herself, Dad," Lorelai said in reply, almost embarrassed by her father's sensitivity._

_"Preposterous," he replied. "That child would be lost without you. And you would be lost without her." Lorelai had looked down. "Lorelai, look at me."_

_She looked up at him. It took all she could muster to look into his face, the weak look under his eyes, his thin face, his dismal eyes. Except they weren't really that dismal anymore. She looked closer. He had tears in his eyes. Tears? When talking to her?_

_"I love you," Richard said. "I'm so glad you're my daughter." With that he had closed his eyes and his hands had turned cold. She looked back at him with tears in her eyes and squeezed his hands._

_"I love you too, Dad," she whispered, as two tears fell down her cheeks. More were begging to come, but at that moment the nurse had charged in and Lorelai had let go of his hand and wiped her tears. She refused to cry in front of people._

Lorelai wiped her eyes. She felt so foolish, crying on a bench over the memory of her dead father. Emily had had a heart attack just a few weeks later, leaving her and Rory with great wealth and a bundle of material things. Somehow, though, the pudding bowl wasn't nearly as appealing as it had been when her parents were alive. Emily and Richard had left Rory the house, and Lorelai the money in their bank accounts. Lorelai had put it away in a special account for Rory's education, knowing that's what her parents would have wanted it to do. She knew it was more than enough to pay for Rory's school. She had hoped that maybe another grandchild of Emily and Richard's would have come to take the extra money.

Lorelai got up slowly and walked back to her house. She went upstairs and pulled out a shoebox of pictures that Lorelai had found after her parents had died. Pictures from their wedding, some of Lorelai's baby pictures that she hadn't found when she burned them because of her big head, and other notes that her parents had written each other when they were in school. She pulled one out.

_Dearest Richard, _it read.

_I miss you more than I ever thought possible. I knew when you left for England last month that I would be utterly miserable without you here, but I never imagined it would be as bad as it is. I hope you are having a good time. I know you're studying like the Richard I know and learning all you can, but I really do hope you've taken time to travel around Europe and see all of the wonderful sights. I am anxiously awaiting your return. I can't wait to hold you and kiss you again. Oh, you know how I adore you. I hope to be married one day, have a family, and grow old with you. But, until then, I will kiss your picture before bed every night, and dream of our beautiful children. I love you. Please come home safely to me._

_Love you._

_Emily._

Lorelai smiled as she put the letter back in the box. Her parents had been so in love when they were younger. She knew they had loved each other as time had passed as well, they'd just learned to show it in a different way. She wondered if she and Luke were like that couple: the couple that was so disturbingly in love but somehow ended up showing their love through the small annoyances. She wondered if that's what marriage did for you.

She picked up Luke's picture and kissed it softly. _Maybe he's just scared, _she thought. _He loves me, I know he does._

She was interrupted by a slight knock on the door. She opened it up and saw a teenage girl standing near the door. She had long, dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and was dressed somewhat formally. She had a backpack over her shoulder.

"Hi," Lorelai said. "Are you looking for Rory? She's not here right now. I'm not sure where she is actually. Is she expecting you? She'll probably be back really soon."

The girl looked confused, "Who's Rory?"

Lorelai noticed she had a slight accent, but she couldn't quite place it. "Who are you looking for?"

"Lorelai Gilmore," the girl replied. "Do I have the right home?"

Lorelai recognized her accent as a mixture of British and slight French. She wondered where this girl had moved from. "This is she, how may I help you?" Lorelai asked.

"My name is Elizabeth Gilmore." The girl waited for Lorelai to respond with familiarity, but when Lorelai's expression didn't change, she went on. "It seems I might have some explaining to do, may I come in?"

Lorelai opened the door, "Tea?" she asked, trying to cater to the girl's home.

"No, thank you. I've never really been a tea fan. I would like coffee, if you have it."

Lorelai looked at her as she poured a cup of coffee. "So, you're from England?"

"Yes," the girl replied. "My mother was just killed in a car accident and I had nowhere to go."

Lorelai looked back at her. "I'm not putting this together."

The girl looked up at Lorelai. "I only have one relative left. My aunt, Lorelai."

Lorelai stared at the girl and dropped her coffee cup on the tile floors.


	6. First Annual Stars Hollow ThumbWar

**A/N: Okay, I know this isn't quite the chapter you guys are expecting and I know you're wanting to uncover the cliffhanger of the last chapter, but I needed a filler chapter. The next chapter is already written and ready to go and it's really long and basically explains the universe, but it's all up to you reviewers on how soon you see it. So leave some good, wholesome reviews (good or bad). I'm sorry this chapter isn't very good, it's the best I can do right this second. Also, if you figure out where this story's going, please don't post it in your reviews. a) it spoils the story for others b) i dont even know where i'm going, so it spoils the writing process for me. Thanks a bunch guys and enjoy the chapter!**

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"Luke, can I borrow your board over there?" Kirk asked and pointed at the chalkboard with Luke's daily specials on it.

"No." Luke said.

"Why not?" Kirk asked.

Luke looked at him, bewildered. "It's my Daily Specials board."

"Everyone knows your daily special is eggs and bacon, Luke. I'll write it on my forehead, can I please borrow your board?"

"No."

"Please, Luke, it's very important."

"What is it?"

"The First Annual Stars Hollow Thumb-War Competition," Kirk said proudly.

"The First Annual what?" Luke asked, not believing his ears.

"The First Annual Stars Hollow Thumb-War Competition," Kirk said. "Every year, from now on, community folk are going to meet here in our favorite diner and tally up our scores in thumb-war on our favorite diner's black chalkboard."

"You're kidding, right?" Luke asked.

"No."

"This is a diner, not an Elks Lodge or Bingo Palace."

"I know, the Elks was full today. We promise to each buy a hamburger."

"And coke." Luke said. Kirk nodded. "And fries." Kirk nodded again. "And napkins, and forks, and plates, and spoons."

Kirk looked at him. "Can I please see the chalkboard now?" Luke grunted and handed it to him. "Caesar," he yelled at the cook. "Start making hamburgers and fries." Kirk grinned and placed his order.

He took the chalkboard back to his seat and sat across from Miss Patty. "1-2-3-4, I declare thumb-war!" he chanted, moving his thumb from side to side in an effort to squash Miss Patty's dreams of winning the tournament. Around him three other groups battled each other: Timmy Johnson vs. Andrew, Lulu vs. Taylor, and Lane vs. Babette.

Luke watched mortified as his diner turned into a playground.

He got over it as more and more townspeople started wandering in the doors, sitting down and ordering food and moving their thumbs side to side in a rhythmic motion.

Every now and then, someone would stand up and yell "Yes! I win!" or someone would start crying in the background. Luke watched the townspeople make fools of themselves until Rory came in and sat down at the counter.

"What's going on in here?" she said with a huge smile on her face as he poured her a cup of coffee.

"The First Annual Stars Hollow Thumb-War Tournament," Luke grunted.

"Thumb-war! Cool!" Rory said, turning around and watching.

Luke stared at her in disbelief.

"What, it beats the hell out of real war." Rory shrugged. "Can I play, guys?" she jumped out of her chair and headed over to the table.

"You have to buy an overpriced hamburger, overpriced fries, overpriced coke, and an overpriced piece of ice from Luke to play," Taylor said. "It's our rental fee."

Rory looked over at Luke and made a face. "It's on the house," Luke mouthed to her and turned around to tell Casear to prepare another hamburger.

Hours later, Kirk held up the scoreboard for everyone to see. "Timmy Johnson is the winner," he said discouraged. He pointed at the freckle-faced, four-eyed, skinny third grader who was sitting across from Taylor.

Timmy stood up, "In your face, Stars Hollow!" he yelled, standing on top of the chair.

"Hey, get off of that!" Luke yelled. Timmy looked at him, went wide-eyed, and jumped off the chair.

"So, tell me young man," Kirk said, grabbing a ketchup bottle and putting it near Timmy's chin. "What was your strategy?"

Timmy smiled. "I picked my nose before ever match."

All of the townspeople got up and ran off, leaving Timmy, Rory and Luke standing in the diner. Timmy grinned and took a bite of his hamburger and ran off.

Rory laughed and sat down at the counter. "See, aren't kids adorable?"

Luke huffed.

"Mom just called me. She wanted me to stop by and tell you that you need to get home as soon as you can today."

"Why?" Luke asked, worried. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Rory shrugged. "I think she just misses you."

"Oh," Luke said. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Rory said, pushing her coffee cup towards Luke. "So, how much profit came from the First Annual Stars Hollow Thumb-War Tournament?"

Luke grunted. "I don't know. I probably would have made a lot more without those lunatics in here playing thumb-war, that's for sure."

"Aww, poor Luke," Rory said in her best baby voice. "I'll get you a pacifier for Christmas next year."

"Can you get me one for Valentines Day? It's sooner." Luke replied.


	7. A Hidden Past

**A/N: So, here's one of the chapters you've all been waiting for. "The Talk" is the next one. Thanks to my faithful reviewers for the criticism and compliments! You guys are the best! Silent readers, speak up! Hope you all enjoy--let me know any thoughts you have. In addition, any review that isn't just a "good job" or "update soon" will recieve a personal response from me, so review up and let me know if you guys are liking the story. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I own some of the plot line... and I own Elizabeth. Other than that, this story is basically stolen from ASP. Darn it all.

* * *

Lorelai sat on the couch and thought back to her conversation with Elizabeth earlier that day. She could replay the entire conversation in her head. Every word that Elizabeth said made her believe more and more in Elizabeth's story, and more and more that Lorelai had to help her.

_Lorelai had opened the door to see a beautiful young girl standing there, biting her lip nervously. Lorelai almost had wanted to laugh at her in her plaid dress suit with her hair pulled back neatly under a headband. She wondered who this girl could possibly be and how she'd gotten through Stars Hollow looking like that. Even Yalies didn't come to Stars Hollow looking like that. Not that any Yalies went to Stars Hollow, but that was beside the point._

_"Hi," she had said, cordially. She had honestly assumed the young girl was from Hartford and went to Chilton with Rory. "Are you looking for Rory? She's not here right now. I'm not sure where she is actually. Is she expecting you? She'll probably be back really soon." She talked too fast. She'd made a mental note to start talking slower._

_"Who's Rory?" The girl had looked royally confused. Lorelai didn't understand. Everyone in Stars Hollow knew Rory. And anyone from outside of Stars Hollow that was this girl's age and didn't know Rory was obviously in the wrong place. She wondered if maybe she could help point the young girl to a more appropriate location._

_"Who are you looking for?"_

_"Lorelai Gilmore," the girl had replied. Lorelai's name sounded funny with the girl's English accent. She had wanted to giggle at the thought of it being mentioned over tea. Lorelai Gilmore. Lorelai Gilmore. Lorelai Gilmore. She rolled it over her tongue and played the many British scenarios in her head. She nearly started laughing. Before she could get a giggle in edgewise, the girl had continued, "Do I have the right home?"_

_Odd choice of words, Lorelai had thought. She decided to reply in a formal answer the phone style. "This is she, how may I help you?" She'd put her hands on her hips then, and then moved them down by her side when she realized how rude she probably looked. She could hear her mother's voice echoing in her head. 'Lorelai, don't stand like a slouch. You know what people will think.' Lorelai had always slouched a little extra after that comment._

_"My name is Elizabeth Gilmore," the girl went on. Gilmore. So what? It was a popular enough name. Could be no relation whatsoever. Lorelai decided to ignore it and kept her poker face. She needed the practice anyway. She, Luke, Sookie and Jackson had started having a poker night every Thursday. Except she and Luke would practice at home in their own style of Poker. Lorelai shook her head a little bit to get off of the dirty thought and onto her newest visitor. "It seems I might have some explaining to do, may I come in?"_

_Lorelai opened the door wider and motioned for the girl to come in. She led her into the kitchen and looked around. "Tea?" she asked weakly, knowing full-well she had no idea how to make it, but wanting to make the girl feel at home._

_"No thank you," the girl had replied. "I've never been a tea fan." Lorelai was surprised. Was there a single brit out there that didn't like tea? "I would like coffee, if you have it?" Lorelai wondered if maybe this was one of her Gilmores. Coffee certainly was a Gilmore trait._

_"So, you're from England?" she asked, feeling dumb for stating the obvious._

_"Yes," the girl replied and bit her lip. She looked as if she was debating going further, but finally continued. "My mother was just killed in a car accident and I had nowhere to go." Lorelai looked at her, not quite sure what to say._

_Eventually, she let the first thing that came to her mind squeak out. "I'm not putting this together."_

_The girl looked up at her and bit her lip nervously. That must be a habit of hers, Lorelai had thought. "I only have one relative left. My aunt Lorelai," the girl had said as Lorelai had dropped her coffee cup on the tile floors, shattering it into a thousand pieces._

_"Oh my," the girl had said, and leaned down to help clean up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Lorelai looked up at the girl. Her eyes looked more blue now. Her hair looked darker and more wavy. Her nose started to look more like Rory's and her face morphed into her father's. _

_Lorelai stuttered. "You have an Aunt Lorelai?" the girl focused on the tile pieces and looked up at Lorelai. All of this mushy stuff was almost too much for Lorelai to take. Actually, it was too much for Lorelai to take. "Is she as beautiful as I am? I mean, personally, I don't think that's possible. I definitely win the most beautiful Lorelai award. Hands down, no contest."_

_The girl looked at Lorelai and scrunched her forehead. "I believe you are her." _

_Lorelai stared at the girl. "How? I'm an only child. I can't possibly have a niece."_

_The girl looked back at her, "Sit down…" she said softly. Lorelai obeyed. Why was she listening to a teenage girl anyways. The girl picked up the pieces and Lorelai wondered if maybe she was used to picking up the pieces of shattered things lately. Like her mother's death. It suddenly dawned on Lorelai that the girl's mother might have been Lorelai's sister._

_"When my grandmother was 18, she was attending a small university in London and she met and fell in love with a young man from America. His name was Richard Gilmore and she was head over heels for him. He had just recently moved to London and was only staying for a year and although he was seeing someone back home, they'd sort of taken a, what do you call it, a break, and he had started seeing grandmum." Lorelai focused on one of the tiles on the floor. It was white with a small red stripe. She wondered where that red stripe had come._

_"Are you listening? It would be dreadfully awful if I had to tell you this story all over again," Elizabeth said._

_Lorelai looked up. "Oh, right, go on. I'm listening."_

_"Well, grandmum fell in love with Richard and by the end of the year she had pleaded multiple times for him to stay, but he kept telling her he was already engaged to this woman named Emily, and he couldn't leave her. He left three days late, but he left nonetheless and grandmum was absolutely devastated. Not even a month later she found out she was pregnant with my mum, but the one time she tried to call Emily picked up and she didn't want to disturb them because they seemed so happy together."_

_Lorelai swallowed, "I'm sorry, what was your grandmother's name?"_

_"Victoria," the girl replied. "I'm sorry, I guess I forgot that detail. Victoria Burke."_

_Lorelai swallowed harder. Her father had always told her he "just liked the name Victoria." Now she realized she was named after her father's girlfriend. She felt somewhat sick to her stomach._

_"May I continue?" Elizabeth asked. Lorelai nodded._

_"So, my grandmum had my mum when she was nineteen and all was good and merry. My mum never met her father. One time when he was on a business trip to England my grandmum saw him, but she didn't want my mum to meet him because he didn't know about her, and she didn't want to disturb his marriage. Well, that's where she found out about you and Emily. She mainly wanted to know because she wanted a place for my mum to go if something ever happened to her. So grandpa told her all about you and Emily and his life here in Connecticut."_

_"I'm sorry," Lorelai interrupted. "What was your mother's name?"_

_"Katherine Gilmore," the girl replied, eyeing Lorelai. Lorelai mulled the name over in her head. Katherine. She had a sister. Her name was Katherine. Katherine. The name sounded foreign and familiar all at the same time. She found herself aching for her sister._

_The girl watched Lorelai until she recognized it was time to go on. "So, my grandmum wrote down all of grandpa's information and kept it at home so that mum would know about her dad. They also took a picture together so mum could have it. Well, like mum like daughter, when my mum was 19 she had me. It was the best day of her life, you know?" The girl smiled and laughed softly. Lorelai couldn't help but smile in return._

_"That was fifteen years ago. My grandmum has since died of cancer and my mum got killed in the car accident. My father is nowhere to be found, he disappeared when mum found out she was pregnant. Everyone else is dead or gone and you're the only one left."_

_Lorelai stared at the girl and didn't say a word._

_"I figured I at least owed it to you to tell you about your life and let you know what had happened. I thought maybe you would want to know and wouldn't be completely freaked out."_

_Lorelai stared at the girl and then shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, it's just a lot to take in. I have a sister and my dad had an affair and I have a niece who needs to be taken care of… And how the hell did you get here, anyway?"_

_The girl looked at her strangely. "Well, I flew, obviously. Well, I flew to Hartford and caught a cab here."_

_Lorelai nodded. "Okay… Where is your stuff?"_

_Elizabeth nodded toward the door. "It's out on the porch."_

_Lorelai got up and pulled it inside. She set it in the doorway to Rory's room. "You can stay here until I talk to my husband and we figure out exactly what to do." The girl looked at the room and back at Lorelai, somewhat stunned and shy. "Don't worry," Lorelai tried to comfort her. "It will all be okay."_

_The girl looked up at her and gave her a half smile. "This must be Rory's room. Rory is your daughter, right?"_

_Lorelai smiled. "Yes, she is. She's your age. I'm sure you'll love her." Elizabeth smiled and nodded, and the two girls disappeared into Rory's room, talking, unpacking, and eventually laughing like old friends._

Lorelai wondered how to tell Luke of the recent events. He didn't want a baby; he didn't want another child besides Rory. Why would he want Lorelai's niece living with them? Lorelai couldn't just shove the poor girl out in the cold. Being a Gilmore was hard enough as is, she didn't need the extra burden of being one by herself. Even Lorelai hadn't had that, she'd always had Rory.

There were so many things she couldn't wrap her mind around. Her father had an affair while he was in England. He'd half-named her after the woman he'd had his affair with. She had a sister she had never heard of. She had a niece that was alone in the world. She found herself wondering what to make of the day's events. Rory and Elizabeth had seemed to hit it off. They were only three months apart and both had a strange love for Jane Austen. Lorelai found that odd. At least the child liked coffee, though.

She heard the door open and looked up in anticipation as Luke walked through it. She smiled at him and noticed his baseball cap was a little crooked. He looked at her.


	8. The Talk

**A/N: Thanks to all my faithful reviewers, you guys are great. Here's the talk. Just so you know, family is in town this week and part of next, so my next chapter may not be up until after Christmas. I'll try and get it done though. Have fun reading!!

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**

Lorelai scooted over to the edge of the couch, giving Luke enough room to sit down next to her. She patted the cushion lightly and motioned for him to come sit next to her. He threw his baseball cap on the table next to his keys and sat down next to Lorelai. She put her head in his lap and stared up at him, her feet dangling off the arms of the couch.

"How was work, baby?" she asked him, not quite ready to get into the sensitive topic of the evening.

"It was work," he said. "You missed The First Annual Stars Hollow Thumb-War Tournament. Timmy Johnson won."

Lorelai looked surprised. "We have a Thumb-War Tournament? Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. Not just any Thumb-War Tournament, the First Annual Stars Hollow Thumb-War Tournament," Luke said matter of factly.

"Oh wow, who won?" Lorelai asked. "I need to know who to dethrone next year."

"That twerp Timmy Johnson; He picked his nose before every match," Luke said.

"Gross."

Lorelai stared up at Luke. She missed this Luke. The one that she could laugh with and talk with without worrying about what she had to say. The one that focused on nothing but her when she was in the room. She missed the way he played with her hair, the way he stared down at her and the way she could always tell what was on his mind. She wondered why she hadn't seen this Luke lately. Had she been so preoccupied with this baby stuff she'd just forgotten to spend time with him? She opened her mouth to say something, but Luke said something first.

"Lorelai," Luke said, squeezing her hand. She looked up at him curiously and let out a soft noise to tell him to go on. "I can't have babies with you."

Lorelai swallowed and sighed a little. She looked up at the man she loved more than anything else and wondered what could possibly be holding him back.

"Why don't you want to have babies with me?" She bit her lip in an effort to try and stop the tears from pooling in her blue eyes. She knew that they would fall soon if she didn't try and stop them.

"I do want to have babies with you," Luke stated. Lorelai looked at him in bewilderment. _What the hell is he talking about? Is he even listening to himself?_

"Luke, you're confusing the hell out of me. You're like that damn Jack-in-the-Box that keeps popping its head out every single time you try and put it back in there. Can't make up your mind if you're in the box or out of the box." She said, a somewhat angry look on her face.

"Lorelai, listen to me, I can't have kids." He said, a bit louder.

"Why not?" she asked, loud enough that if there hadn't been two children in the house it could easily have turned into a fight.

"The doctor told me I can't," Luke said. Lorelai stared up at him in bewilderment. She could hardly believe it. "He said there was a 99 chance that I couldn't have them." Luke shrugged and stared at the arm of the couch, trying to hide from the shame he felt of being a man and not being able to have children.

"Luke, you should have told me," Lorelai said softly. She realized she was about to break down in tears or start yelling or doing something girlish, so she retaliated with her favorite defense mechanism. "All those years we could have not used protection."

Luke looked at her. "That wasn't funny."

"I know," she said.

He ran his fingers through her hair. "Lorelai, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you wanted another kid. I didn't want to bring it up earlier because I didn't think there was any use if you didn't want another one. And then you came in here and wanted a kid and it took me by surprise and I didn't want to tell you out there on the sidewalk in the snow. I didn't want to tell you at all actually. But I thought I might lose you if I didn't. Funny, earlier I thought I might lose you if you did."

"You could never lose me," Lorelai said, staring into Luke's eyes. "You're stuck on me, pal. Like a band-aid."

Luke smiled. "Are you really upset?"

She half-nodded. "Rory's getting older and she'll be at Harvard soon and I'm here and I miss little feet. And smelly diapers. And slobbery kisses. And… sticky hands." She smiled up at him. He laughed.

"I wish we could have a sticky handed kid running around, Lorelai." He said. "If I could help it, we would."

Lorelai let a few tears roll down her cheeks, but she never moved her gaze from Luke. She couldn't tell what she was feeling. She was caught at a crossroads. She was happy that Luke hadn't just not wanted to have babies with her. Just the other day she had felt so rejected and alone. How could someone she loved so much not want to have babies with her. She had thought there was something wrong with her, or that maybe he didn't love her as much as he said he did. But really, he just wasn't physically able to have kids.

She found herself somewhat scared. She had so many tears to cry, but she felt like she couldn't cry them in front of Luke. It wasn't his fault he couldn't have kids, and it wasn't his fault she'd pinned her hopes and dreams on having a child with him. He wasn't the one that had hurt her; the situation had hurt her. But he would think he had. And so she blinked back her tears.

"Have you made any plans for next Saturday night yet," Luke asked her. Lorelai looked up at him funny. "I just wasn't sure if you had a hot date with your latino boyfriend for Valentines Day or something."

Lorelai laughed, "There are so many Latino men in Stars Hollow to choose from. I'm still debating, why?"

"I wanted to take you out. Think you can forego the salsa dancing for one night?" Luke asked.

"Mmm, I'm not sure. It's either Salsa or Flamingo or it's not Valentines Day," she replied, teasing him.

"So order a burrito," Luke said smartly.

Lorelai laughed, "What did you have in mind, Prince Charming?"

Luke shrugged. "Uhhh. I don't know."

Lorelai grinned, "You just want some dessert, don't you?"

Luke blushed and stuttered. "n..n…n..no…"

Lorelai laughed. "I'm free."

Luke smiled and leaned down and kissed her, "I thought so."

"Rory and Elizabeth will be at the dance, anyway, so you can have as much dessert as you like."

Luke grinned. "Wait," he said, scratching his head. "Who's Elizabeth?"


	9. He's a Regular Christopher

**A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long. Christmas Break was a lot more stressful than I thought it was going to be and I had zilch time. I plan on writing more tonight/this weekend though. So, review and I'll get more up. Honestly, reviews keep me writing. Enjoy!

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Luke scratched his head. "Lorelai, it just doesn't make sense to me… And what airline lets a fifteen year old buy a ticket and fly by herself?"**

"Luke, stop being so cynical. She's my niece."

"You can't prove that, Lorelai," Luke said. "Don't you find it just a little bit strange that a year after your parents die a fifteen-year-old shows up on our doorstop claiming to be your niece. You've never even heard of any of the people she mentioned."

"Luke, that's not fair," Lorelai said. "Besides, I've heard of Richard and Emily." She grinned, knowing her smart aleck comment wouldn't go far with Luke.

"Lorelai, everybody has heard of Richard and Emily Gilmore. And everyone knows they passed away and left you and Rory a small fortune. And besides, even if her story was true, why would she come to Connecticut?"

"Luke!" Lorleai protested, "Her aunt and cousin live here. Why wouldn't she?"

"Because, Lorelai. If you and I died, do you really think Rory would have moved to another country if her aunt and cousin lived there? There are plenty of people in this town that would take care of her. Are you seriously telling me that there was nobody in the entire city of London that would take care of an orphaned fifteen-year-old girl? I highly doubt it."

"Luke, I don't know why she left, okay? I just know she needs me."

"She probably just killed someone and is hiding out here until the cops come and arrest us for holding a fugitive in our house." Luke muttered.

"Luke, that's an awful thing to say. She's not John Wilkes Booth." Lorelai muttered, glaring at her husband.

"She could be, you would never know."

Lorelai glared at him.

"I'm just saying. You have no way of knowing if her story is true. You haven't seen any sort of I.D., there's nothing that even remotely points to the possibility of your father having an affair however many years ago, you don't even look that much alike. It's just not probable. And I stand by my airline thing. And where did she get the money to fly cross-continental, anyway?"

"Okay, Luke, fine. She's not my niece, she's a disgruntled teen from Texas on a killing spree. She's still staying here."

Luke looked at Lorelai. "I don't want her killing Rory in her sleep."

"Why do you care? Rory's not even your kid." Lorelai covered her mouth the minute the words escaped her lips. There wasn't a worse thing she could have said to Luke.

Luke turned around and looked at her. She could see the hurt in his eyes.

"Luke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that…." Lorelai apologized, desperately wishing she could take the words back. Luke didn't say anything. He climbed the stairs and a minute later came down with a sleeping bag and a pillow. Lorelai sighed and went upstairs, kicking herself the entire way up.

She crawled under the covers and pulled them up to her chin, staring at the ceiling. She could never explain to Luke how she knew that Elizabeth's story was true. There was no rationale to describe it, no logic would do it justice. She just knew. She saw the pain in Elizabeth's eyes; she just felt it. The bond that family has even if you never knew they existed. And beside, her love of coffee and Jane Austen was too strange and coincidental to be over-looked.

She heard a slight tap on the door and looked up to see Rory.

"Mom? Can I come in?" she asked, already making her way into the room.

"Yeah, sure honey." Lorelai said. "What's up?"

Rory crawled under the covers next to her mom. "Elizabeth's going to sleep in my bed tonight. I was going to take the couch, but it looks like someone else already claimed it." She studied her mom's face. "Mom, what's wrong with you and Luke?"

"Nothing Rory. We're fine," she said.

"Yes, because normally when couples are fine one of them sleeps on the couch and the other sleeps alone in a King-sized bed."

"Yep." Lorelai replied.

"Mom…" Rory said, looking at her mother. "Are you mad because of the kid thing? Still? Because you know Mom, he couldn't help it… He feels terrible about it you know… I mean, he made me chocolate chip smiley pancakes again and…"

Lorelai interrupted her, "Wait, you knew about this? He told you but he couldn't tell me?" Lorelai was about to explode with anger and pain.

"Mom, stop it. I asked him. I kept pestering him until he finally told me. He wanted to tell you, he just didn't want to hurt you."

Lorelai bit the sides of her cheeks and scowled lightly. "Fine, the fight wasn't about having a baby anyway."

"Oh?" Rory half-asked, half-stated.

"It was about Elizabeth." Lorelai said softly.

"Elizabeth?" Rory raised her eyes. "What could she possibly have done to cause a fight? She's only been here a day… She hasn't even met Luke yet."

"She showed up," Lorelai said. "He thinks she's a phony."

"She's not. I can tell." Rory said. "Mom, I really like her. She's fun. She's really funny and witty. And today when I took her out shopping she started talking about how weird Kirk was. I'm telling you, she's a Stars Hollow type of girl."

Lorelai smiled. "I like her too. I think everything will be fine tomorrow when Luke meets her."

Rory smiled and turned over. "Goodnight, Mom."

Lorelai settled into her pillow. "Night, Rory."

She stared at the ceiling for a while, as Rory drifted off to sleep. Just as Rory was about to fall asleep, Lorelai interrupted her.

"Ror? Do you know how she got the money for the plane ticket?"

"Her dad paid for it." Rory yawned. "Apparently he's a real Christopher."

Lorelai looked at her. "Oh, that explains it." And with that they both laid their heads down and fell asleep.


	10. Change will do you good

**A/N: Okay, I know you all probably expected a few more chapters from this. I just ran out of ideas for this story and motivation to write it. Rather than leaving it unfinished, I wrote this really quickly. I will be starting another story soon. If you guys really want me to go back and actually finish this story, let me know and I will. Please Review. Even if it's just to say "your story sucked major butt", I still want to know. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it.****

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**Epilogue**

"I don't know, Sookie. I don't know why I keep patronizing myself with this. Luke can't have kids, and yet I'm holding on to some feeble hope that he can and that's not doing any good. Why do I even want them so bad? I have everything I could ever want here with Rory and Elizabeth."

"I know, sweetie. It's a human instinct to want children with the man you love. Just like it's a human instinct to want pie."

"Mmm, pie… Luke's pie!" Lorelai found herself daydreaming. Sookie giggled at the tangent she'd managed to get Lorelai in. "It's the best in all the land. Children dream of it. Adults lust for it. Did you know I was adopted? Pie is my biological birth mother. Emily Gilmore is just my Mrs. Hannigan."

Sookie giggled. "Lorelai, Emily is not Mrs. Hannigan…"

"You're right." Lorelai consented. "She's that god-awful Lily woman. Isn't that her name? Rooster's chick?" Sookie laughed. "And my father is Rooster. Oh no! Where's Rory? They're going to chase her up a ladder…" Lorelai rambled on.

"Pie!" Sookie interrupted, trying to get Lorelai off her random tangent.

"I'm going to go take a shower so I can get some from Luke," Lorelai said.

"Since when do you have to shower to go to Luke's?" Lorelai shrugged. "Bye Sook." She hung up the phone and wandered upstairs to the bathroom and climbed in the shower.

* * *

Luke opened the door, "Lorelai?" he called. When she didn't answer he made his way upstairs to the sound of the shower running. He knew Rory and Elizabeth weren't home. They'd gone to the library or some other social gathering thing. He knocked on the door lightly and made his way into the bathroom.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm just using the bathroom," he said. When Lorelai didn't reply, Luke dropped his keys on the counter. He noticed something small on the counter and picked it up looking at it.

"Lorelai?"

She stuck her head out of the shower, her eyes closed shut for fear of getting soap in them. "Lorelai, get out of the shower for a minute, will you?"

She groaned. "there's food downstairs," he said to lure her out.

Within minutes she'd jumped out of the shower and was standing in front of him, a towel wrapped around her waist. She looked at him as he eyed the thing he was holding in her hand.

"I just…" Lorelai started to explain.

"Did you read the results?" Luke asked.

She shook her head. "I was just going to throw it away. It's silly, right?" She looked away, a sad expression on her face.

"Lorelai, it's pink." He said softly. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise. She grabbed it out of his hand and stared at it. "But I thought… I… We.." She jumped into Lorelai's arms and he caught her. He held her tight.

"It is a miracle baby, right?" He teased her. "It's not going to come out looking like Kirk or anything?"

Lorelai's face paled. "That was wrong on soooo many levels." Luke smiled and squeezed her hand.

She smiled back at him. "I'm pregnant." She sighed and leaned against him, momentarily forgetting about all of the food waiting downstairs because she was so content just being in the arms of her baby's father.

After Lorelai had gotten dressed, she and Luke went downstairs. They were sitting at the kitchen table, roles reversed. Lorelai was eating a salad and Luke was eating a cheeseburger, wincing the entire way.

"That stuff'll kill ya you know," Lorelai said, shoveling lettuce in her mouth.

"Good," He replied. "It'll kill you first so I won't have to live in misery as long." Lorelai looked up at him and smiled. He really was an old softy. At that moment, the door swung open and in walked Rory and Elizabeth, chatting up a storm.

"Yum! Cheeseburgers!" Rory and Elizabeth exploded, grabbing one from the bag and tons of fries.

Luke laughed. "You're welcome, girls." He smiled at them and ate another fry, thinking about how far things had come since this time last year. He had never been happier than he was right now. He had two kids in his life that he loved like his own, and one on the way. He had a beautiful woman that he woke up next to every morning. He thought back to the year before when he and Lorelai had been fighting over kids non-stop. He thought about Elizabeth, and how much her appearance had healed their relationship. He had doubted her story in the beginning, and even after talking with her a few times he still wasn't sure he believed her. But he'd decided to let her in. He knew Lorelai wanted her there, and they were struggling already. Anything to make Lorelai happy, he had decided. He had no idea she would grow on him the way she did. Almost a year and a half later as Elizabeth started looking at colleges and talking about moving away with Rory to Yale, he was the one begging her to stay.


End file.
